Friends Are the Family
by Biotomegami Lyanvis
Summary: all her life, Moegi was told who her friends would be. When she picked her own, destiny seemed to agree.  for SmallFox


Friends are the family

Disclaimer says that this is the thing to note. I do not own nor profit from Naruto or the Naruto series.

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Moegi has always been told who her friends would be. Starting with her parents of course, being the ones to inform her who was acceptable. Being told, this one, not that one, see how he looks like a dirty ragamuffin? This one, not that one, see how she walks like a snob? Her parents are richer than we are-you can't be friends with her, she'll pity you. That one there, he's unclean. Look how no one seems to take care of him? You have to learn to tell the right sort, Moegi.

Even her friends themselves told her they would be her friends, backed up by Iruka-sensei's words. Anyone in this classroom could wind up as your teammate, after all, so you might as well make nice. He had a rueful smile to wear with that statement, as if remembering something not so long ago.

"Your chances of landing with someone you don't like- they are astronomical, believe me. Even you females have that chance in this particular group- there are a few more of you than usual." Of course, Moegi didn't hate anyone, not even Iruka-sensei, even after brutal drills that made her gasp for breath and feel like her muscles were on fire… She was even worse at running than the Akimichi student. But her father had said Iruka-sensei was to be obeyed as family, and obey and love him she did, just like she was supposed to.

Konohamaru wasn't supposed to be her friend, the dirty ragamuffin him. But they sat together, and he was fun, and crazy and wild and always had the best games to play. And he'd told her he was going to be her friend, she might as well be his or be ran over. He was hard to keep up with, and Udon was just gross, always blowing his snot bubbles, but BOSS… boss was wow, boss was cool, boss was a new, new world. And she could only get to talk to boss if Konohamaru said so, if he was there. So she stayed friends with him. Learned transformations with him, that made her father ground her. Learned to clone, outside of class, held on to Konohamaru's hand, inside of class, and he would never let her fall. Never let her drop like her body wanted to, never leave her behind, even if it made them two the last ones. It made Iruka smile and her pray for him not to team them together. She didn't want to make it, sometimes, especially when her lungs were burning, rasping breaths killing her lungs and sending spots before her eyes-

"It's because you don't drink enough water." She didn't recall saying any of it out loud, but the rich snob her parents had warned her about was holding out a water bottle that looked huge. She snagged it and gulped once, greedily, before she snatched it away. Konohamaru frowned and opened his mouth, but she was quicker than her loudmouthed self-proclaimed friend. "Sip it slow. Otherwise you'll puke, and I spent a thousand ryo on that water." She handed the bottle to Konohamaru. "You. Since you're carting her around, you might as well be in charge of her." Moegi tried to protest but the girl turned her milky-off-white-violet eyes to her and gave her a slight smirk, and all she could think was 'I was going to rip into a blind girl. My parents thought a blind girl was a snob.'

She found out later that she wasn't actually blind, of course. She was just special. Part of the Hyuuga main branch, and a prodigy child of sorts, with a kekkei genkai that could see all the chakra flowing through a person's body. Moegi just blinked through the girl's explanation of her bloodline limit, and then raised her hand. Iruka called on her, of course. It was important to understand what you could about people who would fight alongside you.

"Yeah, but can you see the chakra flow in the air? Like a world current?" Iruka's brow furrowed in thought, but the Hyuuga girl didn't flinch for a second.

"Whomsoever thinks there is such a thing is a fool. Chakra doesn't float around the world in wisps or waves, nor does it run like in a river, or lie still, like the deepest waters of a lake do. Chakra exists inside a vessel. Not anywhere else." Moegi thinks she is the only one who knows the hyuuga girl is lying. Moegi is right. Most put the extra description as an attempt to ridicule her, and Moegi did sit back down as if chastised. But no one else dared ask her any questions. Except Moegi, later, at lunch, a she slipped away from Konohamaru. It was a simple note, slipped into her pocket, and a stolen comb in return. I took something from you. I'd like you to meet me to get it back. Moegi.

At the end of lunch, she couldn't find her left shoelace and had no idea how it went missing. Her note was back in her pocket, and the comb was gone. The note had this addition. I have my thing. Did you want yours? Meet me at the big tree behind the flower garden. Hanabi.

Moegi walked barefoot for the rest of the day. Broken shoelace she told everyone who asked. She accepted no substitutes.

"You walk around barefoot the rest of the day?"

"Yeah."

"That's what I would've done." The shoelace dangled from Hanabi's hand. Moegi didn't reach for it, watching it sway between her fingertips. "Do you want it?" Hanabi asked.

"No. You earned it." Moegi replied, her eyes intent on the other girl's.

After graduation, Moegi stole back her shoelace from Hanabi. And her right sock. And her hairband. Hanabi stole back her headband twenty minutes later. Or maybe she stole Moegi's. A headband is a headband. Moegi thinks that the smirk Hanabi makes means that she has the wrong headband. She wraps Hanabi's headband around her with pride.

Moegi kicked the sand between her toes and stares at the lake. "So, Is there a world current?" Hanabi jumps down beside her.

"You've gotten better at noticing me." Hanabi stalled.

"I want to be your friend." Moegi said, and there was a slight gasp of surprise from behind her, before she knew Hanabi smirked. But what she expected her to say was not what she said, not a rejection.

"The way the currents flow around us… we're supposed to be much more." Hanabi said.

Moegi smiled.

"Then let us be what we must."

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A/N: 'effin aye. This story was a lot harder to write than it should have been. No, I am not continuing it. Story for Small Fox who wanted a lighter story from me, and who asked for a MoegiXHanabi. the original one I was asked for got scrapped and will never rise again. Mostly because internet connectivity issues and viruses ate it, and my inspiration.


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